1586 Polish Special Duties Flight Halifax

[Rakovica]

Thanks!

 

Here's the update on JP 281, seems that it was eventually transferred to the 148 squadron and ended in Yugoslavia with entire British crew lost:

 

26.1.1945. - Halifax II - JP281 - No 148 Sqn - "Q" - 8 KIA

Mission 'ICARUS MINOR' to drop supplies to Virovitica region; 45 containers and 45 packages delivered; on return crashed on Kamesnica mountain in dense fog 

 

F/Lt. George Barrie Strang, R.A.F.V.R. Pilot. 
F/Lt. Harry Edmund Horsfall, R.N.Z.A.F. 2nd Pilot. 
Sgt, John Wardman Holmes, R.A.F.V.R. Flight Engineer. 
F/O. Walter Harold Wilson, R.A.F.V.R. Navigator. 
F/O. Raymond Howarth, R.A.F.V.R. Air Bomber. 
F/O. Henry Oscar Mason, R.A.A.F. 
Sgt. Denis Patrick Burns, R.A.F.V.R. Air Gunner. 
Sgt. Gordon Diffey, R.A.F.V.R. Air Gunner. 

All buried in Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia. 

 

And most probably one of its propellers, found a few years ago in Dinara mountains by the local enthusiasts. 

(photo borrowed from Croatian OMF modelling forum) 

[Seahawk]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 9:02 PM, Rakovica said:

 Just need to find the small "Poland" marking for the nose. 

There's a nicely-printed one, complete with POLAND legend, among the transfers for the Polish option in the new Airfix Mitchell II boxing.  May just be a tad too big for your purposes though.

[Rakovica]

Thanks for the tip Seahawk. I'll try to get it! 🙂 

Edited March 4, 2019 by Rakovica

[Pawel]

On 24/02/2019 at 11:30, Rakovica said:

Hello,

 

I'm researching the Halifax JP 281 GR-L from the well known photo taken in Campo Casale Brindisi or Grottaglie, Italy and would like to build a 1/72 scale model of it.

 

First, I want to depict it as it appeared on the night of 21/22 July 1944 when it was attacked and damaged by a German nigh fighter near Belgrade, on the way to drop zone in Poland. The pilot P/O Henryk Kwiatkowski aborted the mission and managed to reach the home base. However, I'm a bit confused as I found a record that other Halifax JD 362 with identical squadron code GR - L was shot down over Hungary a month later, on 27 August 1944 with entire crew lost.

 

http://www.polishsquadronsremembered.com/301/301_losses.html

 

At the other hand, other sources like the official Polish embassy in Budapest web page, listed JD 362 as squadron code GR - E, not L.

 

https://budapeszt.msz.gov.pl/pl/aktualnosci/szczatki_halifaxa_wracaja_do_polski?printMode=true

 

Now, as it seems unlikely to me there were two planes with the same squadron code at the same time, can someone solve this mystery please? Or maybe JP 281 carried a different letters when it was damaged near Belgrade?

 

Here's a shot of the pilot Kwiatkowski in front of JP 281, note the letter L on the fuselage.

 

The second question is which exactly out of several correction sets to use on my Revell 04670 Halifax B kit to fix the radiators and propellers as on the JP 281?

 

Thanks in advance! 🙂

 

 

 

 

I'm looking for photos of another Polish bomber Liberator EW278 GR-U, lost over Senta in former Yugoslavia on Sept. 10/11 1944. The monument for three fallen crew members is planned in Senta, a support  appreciated.

[Pawel]

I'm looking for photos of another Polish bomber Liberator EW278 GR-U, lost over Senta in former Yugoslavia on Sept. 10/11 1944. The monument for three fallen crew members is planned in Senta, a support appreciated. 

On 24/02/2019 at 11:30, Rakovica said:

Hello,

 

I'm researching the Halifax JP 281 GR-L from the well known photo taken in Campo Casale Brindisi or Grottaglie, Italy and would like to build a 1/72 scale model of it.

 

First, I want to depict it as it appeared on the night of 21/22 July 1944 when it was attacked and damaged by a German nigh fighter near Belgrade, on the way to drop zone in Poland. The pilot P/O Henryk Kwiatkowski aborted the mission and managed to reach the home base. However, I'm a bit confused as I found a record that other Halifax JD 362 with identical squadron code GR - L was shot down over Hungary a month later, on 27 August 1944 with entire crew lost.

 

http://www.polishsquadronsremembered.com/301/301_losses.html

 

At the other hand, other sources like the official Polish embassy in Budapest web page, listed JD 362 as squadron code GR - E, not L.

 

https://budapeszt.msz.gov.pl/pl/aktualnosci/szczatki_halifaxa_wracaja_do_polski?printMode=true

 

Now, as it seems unlikely to me there were two planes with the same squadron code at the same time, can someone solve this mystery please? Or maybe JP 281 carried a different letters when it was damaged near Belgrade?

 

Here's a shot of the pilot Kwiatkowski in front of JP 281, note the letter L on the fuselage.

 

The second question is which exactly out of several correction sets to use on my Revell 04670 Halifax B kit to fix the radiators and propellers as on the JP 281?

 

Thanks in advance! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

[JWM]

10 hours ago, Pawel said:

I'm looking for photos of another Polish bomber Liberator EW278 GR-U, lost over Senta in former Yugoslavia on Sept. 10/11 1944. The monument for three fallen crew members is planned in Senta, a support appreciated. 

Do you noticed those decals? GR-U bu another serial (again!)

[Pawel]

JWM, thanks for the picture, I wonder if there is any info about a painting on the nose art of EW278 GR-U,